Due to some very fortunate circumstances, I will take
delivery of a new
Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 six
cabin (+2 fore peak berths for crew) in
BVI in December. The
boat will be in
charter for a year or two at least, but I will use it as often as I can. I have never sailed, so I am looking for a bit of
advice to increase my knowledge and keep me busy while waiting this summer.
I have two thoughts after reading a lot about sailing schools. One train of thought is get all the
ASA certifications I can as well as time aboard a cat to learn all I can this summer in
Rhode Island. The 2nd train of thought is to get
ASA 101 this summer and then just wait until my
boat is delivered and hire a certifying
skipper to teach me on my boat. The 2nd way seems appealing as it will be personalized and more fun/relaxing.
In the end I want to feel knowledgeable, safe and able to handle situations that may arise as I
skipper my own boat, possibly for
charter guests some day. My background is
power boats of 30-40 ft on inland lakes and a former life as a US
NAVY submariner trained in
navigation and
electronics as a SONAR supervisor. I have a very technical background in
electronics, motors, generators and mechanical
equipment. I am a super geek and will install as many wireless sensors on my boat as I can to
monitor systems performance and
health.
Looking forward to joining the fun and relaxation of sailing soon!
Thanks for any
advice and comments.